


How Little We Know

by kryjaku



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: American Kagami, Aomine doesn't speak English, Cute Aomine, Developing Friendship, Developing Relationship, First Crush, Fluff, Kagami doesn't speak Japanese, Language Barrier, Love at First Sight, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Touou Kagami Taiga, anyway i'll update tags as I go, aomine with a crush aka the most precious thing, oh boy, rating may change as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-05 03:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4163331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kryjaku/pseuds/kryjaku
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Opening himself to Kagami Taiga came as naturally as oxygen came to his lungs and his chest was pounding at this realization, he could be completely at ease with this American whom he could barely have a conversation with, could spend hours and hours just enjoying each other’s company, and he knew this much.</p><p>Aomine Daiki needed this man in his life...</p><p>And it would be his biggest challenge yet.</p><p>[In which Kagami was born and raised in America, and came to Touou for his second year of high school. Aomine falls for him but finds himself struggling with both the language barrier and his newfound feelings. Takes place after the Winter Cup.]</p><p>(ON INDEFINITE HIATUS)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When Aomine first laid eyes on the new transfer student, he knew.

From the very moment he joined the basketball team and introduced himself, to the first time he played in an official game. When he felt that fiery passion and determination radiating from the redhead on the court, easily keeping up and even rivaling his own pace, and the way he cheered from the top of his lungs and hugged every one of his teammates when they came out victorious, in that language that he has yet to understand. He scoffed, must be an American thing, but he was surprised to find that he didn’t mind being squeezed by his overly excited teammate then.

It even became a habit soon enough, who knew Americans were so touchy-feely?

When he did attempt to speak Japanese, he often spoke in an overly casual manner which even came off as rude at times, however, the senpais could handle that much with patience and consideration to spare, pulling their newest teammate aside and quietly correcting him, making his cheeks flush a light pink and stuttering out an apology in a strong foreign accent, followed by a clumsy bow. The formless shooter thought the guy was kind of cute then, though he would never admit it out loud.

Then came the day he discovered they both had giant stomachs and a love for Maji Burger, and that's when the hanging out started. They would go together after practice every day and talk and joke around as much as their limited language skills permitted them, then proceed to stuff their faces in a relatively comfortable silence, aside from the occasional chuckle that escaped the redhead’s lips whenever the tanner boy " coincidentally spaced-out” with his eyes locked on the other's face (because no, he was _not_ staring at his dumb, breadcrumb-filled face) and then muttered something in English that he couldn’t quite catch, he only hoped it was nothing bad.

The moment he truly admitted it was the moment they challenged each other to a one-on-one, and another, and another after that. Sometimes one would win, sometimes the other would win, yet most times their play was so intense, so wild and _exhilarating_ that they didn't even bother to keep track of their scores, far too absorbed in the fun of it.

That night, was one of those nights. They had no idea who won, didn't really care either, as they carelessly lay down on the dirty concrete on their backs, catching their breath side by side, when the bluenette felt a light fist bump to his shoulder, and he turned to meet the other’s tired yet overjoyed gaze.

“ _That was awesome, Daiki_.”

He understood that much, and he fist bumped the other back, muttering something about not calling him his given name, even though he loved how it sounded from the redhead’s lips, and besides, said redhead probably didn’t catch what he just said anyway.

Somehow they ended up engaging in a halfhearted nudge battle, and once his teammate started laughing, so genuine and content with the bluenette’s company, he felt his heart skip a beat and the muscles in his face working on their own, the corners of his eyes scrunching slightly as his mouth stretched into a smile so bright and _happy_ and he was sure he hadn’t smiled like this in years.

Opening himself to Kagami Taiga came as naturally as oxygen came to his lungs and his chest was pounding at this realization, he could be completely at ease with this American whom he could barely have a conversation with, could spend hours and hours just enjoying each other’s company, and he knew this much.

Aomine Daiki needed this man in his life, he needed Kagami Taiga.

And it would be his biggest challenge yet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that introduction~? I swear the actual chapters will be longer. I'm not the best writer, but I had this idea in my head for a while now and I just had to at the very least try my hand at writing it. Also, sorry if any of the characters are OOC. I try my best to keep them in character (which is especially hard with a lovestruck Aomine in my hands lmao) but this is how I imagine Aomine is truly. He puts up this "Fuck off" front when in reality he just wants them tiger hugs ;w;


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine asks for advice.  
> Kise gives way too much, and Kuroko gives just enough.

What Aomine didn’t know was  _how_  he was supposed to convey his feelings to someone who had just recently learned how to say good morning without sounding like he was naming a state, and he realized he might need some help with this.

“Tetsu.”

The first person that came to mind that was sure to help him out was obviously, Tetsu. Satsuki and the rest of the old Teiko team all shared a very strong bond, even more so after Tetsu and his team put them back in their place back at the Winter Cup, but when it came to more personal things that he wanted to keep discreet, he knew his former shadow was the one to go to.

So now, he lay in bed after a much needed shower, holding his phone to his ear and muscles still tingling from his one-on-one with Kagami earlier. It was somewhat late, but hey, it was Friday, Tetsu's bound to be awake.

“Good evening, Aomine-kun.”

A somewhat distant “Aominecchi!?” could be heard through the speaker as well, and at that his lip curved upwards.

“I was about to ask if I woke you but, guess not.” He heard Kuroko hum in agreement.

“Kise-kun came over to play video games tonight.”

“Aominecchiiii! You should have come over! Kurokocchi keeps beating me in every single game! I need backup!” Kise’s whines sounded completely clear now, Kuroko probably switched to speaker phone. “Are you listening, Aominecchiiiii—”

“Ah, I was busy tonight, sorry.” The bluenette unconsciously scratched at his head, feeling the still damp strands of hair.

Kuroko would have let that go with no further questioning, but Kise was another story entirely.

“Busy? Are you practicing late? I thought you usually went to eat after practice? Wait, were you with someone… _else_?” The blonde’s tone turned suggestive, and he could almost picture Kuroko rolling his eyes at Kise’s antics. Well, so much for keeping it between Tetsu and him.

“Shut your mouth Kise.”

“So meannn~”

“I _was_ with someone though, and I may, uh.” Aomine cleared his throat and thought about what he was about to say for a second. He had never had any... interests before. Crushes? It was kind of embarrassing, putting it like that, he felt like some teenage girl with a “crush” but, that’s what he had right? He thought so, if shoujo manga are anything to go by. His former teammates were sure to be surprised at the very least, so he tried to inform them somewhat indirectly, avoiding that one embarrassing word.

The ace ran a hand over his face, and kept it over his eyes as he spoke, as if he needed to hide his expression from even his bedroom walls. “I need some advice.”

“That’s… very unusual of you to ask, Aomine-kun. Should we be concerned?” Kuroko spoke in his usual calm voice, though you could sense a hint of worry in his tone. Kise even went quiet as well, waiting for the response, and Aomine went a little warm inside at knowing his friends cared this much.

“No, no… well… no.” Aomine hesitated, and that didn’t happen too often, now his friends on the other line were even more on edge, though they waited patiently for the darker bluenette to continue.

“I think… I got feelings for someone, and—“

“Eeeehhh!? Aominecchi has a—”

“ _Don’t say it!_ ”

Tetsu sighed in apparent relief, and Kise burst into a fit of squeals and laughter.

“Who's the lucky lady? Is she a model? Does she look like one of your idols?" Kise interrogated excitedly and Aomine flinched, knowing this would be yet another unexpected detail to his friends, who knew him as a lover and fanatic of the female form (or in Tetsu's blunt honesty, a shameless pervert), so again, he tried to let them know as casually as possible.

"Ah, well, he's—"

" _He!?_ "

"Kise-kun, please stop interrupting Aomine-kun."

Aomine sighed and mentally thanked Kuroko for cutting the blonde off before he went into another fit. "He's my teammate, came from America some months back, y'haven't met him yet."

"The one who’s beaten you at one-on-one?" Kuroko remembered hearing of him from past conversations with Aomine, and now it made sense to him how the darker bluenette seemed to light up and radiate cheerfulness whenever he spoke of his newest teammate.

"Whaaa, he beat Aominecchi?" Kise's piped up again. "He must be amazing!"

"His name was Kagami-kun, right?"

Aomine gave an affirmative grunt. "Kagami Taiga."

"Taiga? Like,  _taegahr?"_ Kise attempted to speak the English word that resembled the name, but failed terribly.

"He's more like a rabbit if you ask me, the guy jumps as if he has fuckin' springs in his legs." and as he said that, he had to shake away the incoming thoughts of the redhead's strong, toned legs, as they flexed and glistened with sweat on the court.

"Does he like guys too?" The blonde spoke again, and Aomine bit the inside of his lip.

"I don't know..."

"Ask him, Aominecchi!"

"I...don't know how..."

Kuroko, being as sharp as he was, had already put two and two together. "Does he speak Japanese?"

And the sharp sigh that sounded through the speaker confirmed Kuroko’s suspicions before even a word left the ace's mouth.

“Barely, he’s learned a lot these past couple months, but not enough to have a deep conversation about our sexuality.” The ace spoke in a joking manner, though he was genuinely frustrated by this fact.

“Then… you could work on your English too! That way your chances of talking properly could increase, right? Akashicchi is _really_ good at English! He could tutor you!”

Another small sigh was heard after Kise spoke, this time from Kuroko. "I don't think Akashi-kun will come all the way here just to tutor Aomine-kun..."

"Oh right... But what if...!"

And then Kise began blurting out lots of "helpful" advice, which included either some sort of fast English learning program that never worked, or consisted of Aomine simply seducing his "boy-toy" as Kise called him, because after all... "The language of love is universal, Aominecchi~!"

At some point, he started mixing up both, something about Aomine and Kagami and washable markers and a lack of clothing and the ace just tuned him out, rubbing circles into his forehead with the back of his hand as he tried to come up with something himself, while Kise continued to ramble. Tetsu had gone rather quiet, now that he thought about it, and he imagined the lighter bluenette had either fallen asleep or gotten up and left, exasperated from his friend's ridiculous ideas.

"Oh, hey! Murasakibaracchi once said that he has a teammate who came from America too!" Kise exclaimed after one too many others suggestions, and Aomine perked up slightly, since it wasn't sounding as ridiculous as all the other shit he'd come up with.

"Yosen is also far away, Kise-kun." and oh, Tetsu  _is_ still there.

Aomine slumped again. 

However, Kuroko soon intervened before Kise's next "brilliant" idea. "May I make a suggestion?"

"Anything'd be better than putting sticky notes on my dick." Aomine drawled out, though he perked up again, because Tetsu had to be onto something.

"It'll help you with English anatomyyy!"

Kuroko seemed to ignore Kise's whining, and carried on. "There is an app you and Kagami-kun could download on your phones. It takes the text you type and translates it into the language of your choosing before sending." Tetsu spoke as if he was reading from a script, and an intrigued hum was heard from both Aomine and Kise. "It seems to be quite reliable."

"Why didn't you say so sooner, Kurokocchi?"

"I just looked it up." There was a pause, Kuroko lifting his tablet and showing Kise what he had been doing while the blonde just spewed random suggestions. 

So that's why he was so quiet. Aomine thanked whatever god was listening for Tetsu's silent proficiency.

Eventually, Kise had fallen asleep on the floor next to Kuroko after talking for a while longer, leaving the two bluenettes to themselves. Aomine had somehow ended up lying horizontally on the bed, his legs propped up on the wall, making the fabric of his sweats pool at his thighs.

"Aomine-kun."

"Yeah?"

"I would like to meet Kagami-kun."

Aomine smirked, replying in a joking tone. "What are you, my mother?"

And Tetsu chuckled lightly, and imitated the other's tone. "I think Momoi-san already claimed that title."

At that, the darker bluenette let out a chuckle of his own, at the same time he swung his legs down and got comfortable on his bed again.

"He's awesome Tetsu, playing with him's a blast. In the court he could even be intimidating, he'll be real fierce and determined to win, and then outside of the court he's kind of a loudmouth, and comes off as rude sometimes, but he means well. He's real friendly and sweet, like a huge teddy bear. I'm sure you'll get along with him too." He unconsciously spoke in the most endearing tone that Kuroko has ever heard coming from his friend's mouth, and there was a long pause on his part.

"Tetsu?"

"...You've got it real bad, Aomine-kun."

"I- Tch. I'm going to bed."

Kuroko smiled where he sat, idly playing with Kise's hair while the blonde snored lightly. "Goodnight, Aomine-kun."

"Yeah, night Tetsu." Aomine was about to hang up, but held back just before pressing the 'end call' icon. "Ah, Tetsu?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you, Kise too." Aomine mumbled out, pretending to just be really tired instead of slightly bashful.

Kuroko always saw past it, or in this case heard, and he nodded, even though it wasn't seen. "You're welcome."

A couple minutes later, Aomine had set his phone aside and was drifting off to sleep, his last lucid thoughts being how relieved he used to be in the weekends, being able to relax without school. However, now he found himself yearning for the week _days_ , and the moment he asked himself why, a flash of red crossed his mind.

Tetsu's right, he's got it bad, but he still won't admit it out loud. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter lacked AoKaga but hey, Kuroko and Kise are helpful bbys.  
> Or at least Kise tries to be.  
>  ~~ilykisebb~~  
>  Hope you liked this chapter! Let me know what you guys think~?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Kagami's words, they can "finally fuckin' talk!"

The lesson that the teacher was trying to convey to her students was like a distant mumbling in the bluenette's ears, as he sat in his desk, resting his chin on his palm and pretending to pay his full attention to class, even though his leg bounced anxiously and he kept giving the clock on the wall various sideways glances.

Ugh, why can't time go by faster?

Aomine had spent most of the weekend staring at the message Tetsu had sent him, along with the link to the app that would help him communicate with Kagami. He had already downloaded the app himself, but soon afterwards, he forgot they hadn't exchanged phone numbers yet, so he was left to wait out the weekend in a constant anticipation of what Monday would bring. How would Kagami react? The ace found himself picturing small scenarios in his head, a particular one that was his favorite was the one playing in his head right now. The redhead would be surprised at first, arching a brow in silent question, before he tapped on the link and read through the description, his lips slowly stretching into one of those smiles that made Daiki's heart flutter in his chest as he happily traded numbers with him.

That would be nice.

* * *

 

That _was_ nice, even better than expected. They had even exchanged contact pictures, Kagami smiling brightly for Aomine's camera, making a smile of his own spread on his face as he took the picture. He had even insisted on writing 'Taiga' in, instead of Kagami.

"Because we're friends... when they're close they say their first name to each other here right?" The redhead spoke a little unsure, and while it wasn't the most articulate sentence, he got the message across. Aomine nodded, containing his giddiness at the fact that he and Taiga were  _close._ Close friends but close nonetheless. It was a nice start, he thought. Kagami, oblivious to his friend's internal celebrating, gave a little excited fist-pump of his own, awfully proud of his small accomplishment.

During a small break in practice, they sat on either side of a bench, Taiga with a smile and Daiki trying his best to not look too ecstatic, along with their coach directing stern looks their way that they knew meant "Don't get too comfortable, practice isn't over yet.". Satsuki stood by the coach, and secretly threw a good luck wink Aomine's way, making the ace scowl in her direction and the manager stifled a giggle. Kagami had opened his phone to find that the download had finished, quickly setting it up and typing away on his screen. Aomine couldn't help the slight quirk in his lips as the redhead looked up expectantly when he heard the little jingle coming from the bluenette's phone, signaling the arrival of a new text message, and he quickly opened it.

"We can finally fuckin' talk!" were the first words that Kagami Taiga had sent him, and the bluenette just had to laugh at this fact, typing a response while still chuckling under his breath.

"'Bout time, I was starting to think we'd have to learn sign language." he was about to include "or put sticky notes on our dicks" when he realized that was going to sound _very_ wrong and he mentally cursed Kise, hoping he would feel the chills all the way over at Kaijō. When he looked up at the redhead, he had somewhat of a serious expression on his face this time as he typed, and Aomine waited -not so- patiently for him to finish.

"I've been working really hard on my Japanese, but it'll still take a while before I'm good at it. I'm really glad we can actually talk before that!" The ace read and looked up to see his teammate smiling sincerely.

"Someone's excited." He replied, trying to make it seem like he wasn't jumping for joy inside his head and as if his heart _wasn't_ doing flips, when the other's response came in fairly quickly.

"Don't give me that Daiki, I know you are too." and Aomine pretended to fix his hair as an excuse to hide his face, he very much appreciated his darker skin tone at the moment, because if he was any lighter his blush would be too obvious. He hadn't even noticed a while had passed until he saw Kagami squinting at his face from across the bench where he sat, his head slightly tilted to the side, and the bluenette realized he had spaced out while staring at the screen.

He simply replied "Yeah, yeah.", at a loss for forming a better answer right this moment as he idly swung his legs on the sides of their seat.

Kagami glanced at him, to his phone screen, and back at him, staring suspiciously at him for a second, as if desperately wanting to know what the other was thinking, but to no avail, so he settled on brushing off the bluenette's strange behavior and figured distracting him from whatever was bothering him would be a better idea.

"So what do ya say? The usual after practice? I'll definitely beat your ass today! >;D" Taiga smirked as he hit send, and Daiki quirked a brow at this, quickly opening back up his messages and reading the other's words as a smirk of his own spread on his face, although cockier than Kagami's. He typed a quick reply and sent it before standing back up from the bench to continue practice, tugging the other along by the fabric of his jersey.

"We'll see."

* * *

 

He had just gotten his ass beaten -as promised- as they lay down on the concrete once again, side by side, at the court they always went to play. It was isolated, plants and branches tangled through the metal fence, and the paint that the concrete seemed to have at some point in time was now nothing more than some grimy stains of color here and there. To any other person, it would only seem like some unkempt and abandoned relic, but to them, it was private, personal.

It was _theirs._

Their own little hiding place, separated from the rest of the world, where they could do whatever they wished, even if most days that only consisted of playing basketball and listening to each other breathe, and the attempt of light conversation and occasional bickering that ended in fits of laughter.

The moon was full over the walls of green and rusted silver, and Aomine cushioned the back of his head with his interlaced palms as he gazed at the sky before him. He guessed Kagami was either doing the same or napping, since all he heard was the soft inhales and exhales of the man beside him. A turn of the head and a glance to his side confirmed the latter. He secretly loved these moments, absolutely  _adored_ them even.

As he smiled fondly at Taiga's sleeping face, he remembered the comment the redhead had made earlier that day about them being close, and he could definitely see where he got the idea, even so, it still astounded Aomine to this day. Two people from different countries, cultures, upbringings and even _language_ had formed this close a bond in a matter of three months into the school year and if that wasn't special, Aomine didn't know what special was, even dared to think it had to be destiny for them to meet. 

Though he shook his head and exasperatedly rubbed his face for being so fucking cheesy right now.

Daiki turned to lay on his side, part of him wanting to prank the redhead or scare him awake, but the bigger part of him just wanted to leave him be. He looked so peaceful, so content. He noted the curve in his eyelashes, his pointed nose, the slight sheen on his smooth skin from the dried sweat, how his lips seemed lightly chapped but like they would be so _incredibly_ soft -though he quickly shook that one away and saved it for later, when said lips were far out of his reach-, and how crimson strands seemed to fade into black as they grew, making him wonder if black was his natural hair color then. Most likely, he thought. Even if the redhead came from America, physically, he could very well be Japanese. His parents probably are, but he didn't know for sure, he realized...

The bluenette realized he wants to know these things, what his home is like and how his relationship with his parents is. Did his parents come with him? Does he have any pets? Siblings? Friends? When did he start playing basketball? What other hobbies does he have? Hell, what was his favorite color? If it wasn't red that is, which Daiki was almost entirely sure it had to be.

He went back to laying on his back, prepared to fish out his phone from his pocket to start the conversation when the man beside him stirred and spoke, his voice rough and a bit slurred from sleep.

"Daiki...?"

He turned his head to the source of the voice. "Hm?"

Kagami raised himself up on his palms, before changing position. He lay perpendicular to Aomine, rested his head on the bluenette's stomach and closed his eyes as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do with your teammate. For a second, Daiki thought he had truly fallen back to sleep, but he spoke again.

"Is... this okay?"

Aomine hoped his face had some sort of shade over it to hide the fond smile that spread on his face, and replied in the most casual voice he could muster.

"Sure."

And then Kagami smiled up at him, drowsy yet sweet, before letting his eyelids droop closed again, happily nuzzled into the other's shirt, and Aomine could only hope the incessant pounding of his heart didn't reach the ear pressed to his stomach. 

He ended up taking his phone out anyway, needing to distract his hands with something, before the urge to stroke the silky-looking red locks on Taiga's head overcame him, and it seemed like it would be a while before they parted ways tonight. 

Even so, right in this moment, he hoped time did anything  _but_  go by faster.

After all, it's not often you get to fulfill the role of tiger-rabbit's personal pillow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~#tigerrabbitkagami~~  
>  Cuddly babies for everyone~  
> I really enjoyed writing this chapter, I hope you liked it just as much!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine gets to visit Kagami's place, eat his food and laze on his couch while thinking way too much.  
> And then he finally realizes.

In the end, Daiki seemed to be forced to make the decision of waking his teammate, that after over an _hour_ was still comfortably snoozing on the ground and on the bluenette’s stomach, only because he knew that staying the night there would be a very bad idea. He wished this same scenario would have happened in either of their homes, on a couch or futon, and they could be able to spend the entire night together like this. What would it be like to wake up to a sleeping Kagami, he wondered. What would he be like in the morning? Would he be groggy or refreshed? The redhead didn’t seem like he would be a morning person, they had various similarities, so maybe Kagami was just as lazy as Aomine was when it came to mornings.

Just as he began to picture what his friend’s bedhead would be like, his fantasizing was interrupted by a stir and a quiet mumble coming from below.

“Hnn… _What time is it?”_

Daiki arched a brow down at the other, a little cocky about having understood his slurred English, as he checked the time on his phone, squinting at the too high brightness.

“Almost… nine.”

And then, just as the redhead had begun to push himself up and stretch, a low rumble was heard from Aomine’s stomach. He’d been hungry for a while now, but just couldn’t bring himself to disturb his sleeping teammate.

Kagami glanced at the other’s stomach, and then at his face with a small smile. “Umm…” He looked like he wanted to say something, and fumbled with his words a little before exhaling a sigh of defeat and pulling out his phone.

“All the food joints are closed by now so, how’s dinner at my place sound? You know, as thanks for letting me sleep on you lol.” Aomine read a few seconds later, and his lips curved into a crooked smile, huffing a small laugh as he replied.

“You think you can just give me food and all will be forgiven?”

Taiga pouted and looked up at the bluenette with an expression that reminded Daiki of a manipulative child, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, giving away his failed attempt at acting hurt. Daiki rolled his eyes and typed yet another message.

“Because you’re absolutely right, but won’t your parents mind? It’s kinda late.”

The way the man in front of him slumped slightly, a quiet sigh blowing through his nose as he fiddled with his fingers a little, caught Daiki’s eye. It wasn’t some goofy act this time, he could tell, so he squinted in silent question. Had he said something wrong? When Taiga finished typing though, he perked up again, to… hide whatever he was feeling from the bluenette? Aomine didn’t like that thought, he wanted to know anything and everything about Kagami, to take his troubles and split them in two, to be his support against whatever was bothering him… His phone beeped.

“I live alone.” Oh. Various thoughts dashed through Daiki’s head then. Why? Where were his parents? Did something happen to them? Shit, he hoped not.

Since he couldn’t be sure why it was that the redhead lived on his own, and didn’t want to potentially make the other upset, he decided to hold in even more questions, saving them for later. Actually, there was one he could ask right now.

“So you cook?”

Kagami nodded with an audible “ _Yeah.”_ , and typed another message.

“And I’m pretty good at it if I do say so myself.”

Aomine scoffed as he replied back. “Hard to believe, you don’t look like the cooking type.”

“ _I’m full of surprises.”_ The redhead spoke with a sly smile as he brought himself up from the ground and extended a hand for Aomine.

The bluenette actually recognized the English phrase, much to his own surprise, though he replied back in Japanese, taking the other’s hand in his.

“Surprise me then _.”_

 Kagami was equally shocked, awfully impressed as well, and his face stretched into a wide grin as he pulled Daiki up.

 

* * *

  

Aomine learned a couple of things though, without even asking.

Kagami was apparently quite well-off, seeing as his apartment was insanely large for Japanese standards. He recalled some “reality shows” he’d watched in which Americans live in even larger houses, and maybe this place, to Kagami, is considered _small_. The redhead also has very few furniture, along with sparse decor -which is a very big waste of space if you ask Aomine-, however, the place is very clean, the air is crisp and even somewhat chilly from the quality ventilation, and there is the lingering scent of what the bluenette assumed to be some kind of air freshener or scented candle.

It was nicer than Aomine expected, and it helped him calm the nerves that he refused to admit were even there.

Once they shrugged off their school bags in the living room, the redhead offered him a seat on the couch and the remote to his television while the food was prepared, though Daiki found the view of the kitchen from where he sat to be far more entertaining than anything that was playing on the TV. He could get used to this open concept thing.

After a while of mindless flipping through channels and the occasional question from the redhead concerning the tanner man's tastes in flavors and ingredients, he was itching to get up from his seat. He watched Kagami out of the corner of his eye, but wanted to see what he was working on up close, ask if he could help at all, but wondered if he would be intruding. If he was wanted at the kitchen, Taiga would have said so, right?

The aromas wafting in the air were too much, the faint sizzle of meat on a pan making him gulp and his stomach rumble loudly, and before he knew it his feet were dragging him to the source of the amazing scents. The redhead was moving swiftly from counter, to sink, to stove, like an absolute professional, vegetables and other ingredients placed neatly at the side of the stove, no mess in sight, and here Aomine would still manage to ruin some toast... but he was sure he could still aid his friend somehow, even if he seemed to be fine on his own -to the extent of still not noticing the bluenette sitting at the counter behind him-, so Daiki simply stared at the other, waiting for him to turn around and notice him instead of potentially startling the redhead.

He wasn’t taking the opportunity to check Taiga out at all.

His eyes weren't roaming over the other's figure, tank top and shorts that he wished were the slightest bit tighter on the redhead, though he happily took in the sight of the skin that was exposed.

That is, he _didn’t_ take in anything, because… He wasn’t… looking.

He felt his face burn when the front of the tank top was raised, at the same time Taiga turned around to lean back into the counter, wiping his face of the sweat that had apparently gathered there while still completely unaware of the bluenette’s presence. Shit. Seeing him change in the locker room was somehow different than really looking at him here, up close and personal, with no loud chatter and towels flying through the air. Aomine's eyes were wide and the flush obvious on his face as he gulped again, not because of the food this time. No, this was much worse, because he had just noticed just how enticing Taiga's v-line was, how deep and toned and _inviting,_ as if guiding Daiki’s eyes down lower to…

 A hand flew up to smack onto his red-hot face a tad too loudly, and it took all his strength to swallow back a groan.

"Ah?" Kagami finally noticed his teammate as he dropped his top back into place, making a questioning furrow of his brows once he noticed his friend’s strange behavior. "Daiki? What’s up?"

Aomine managed to only jump slightly, clearing his throat somewhat awkwardly. He knew his teammate had no clue what just went on in his head, or what’s currently going on in his body, but he still felt like a deer in the headlights, exposed, a stuttering fool with his fists clenched on the counter. "Nothin'... just came to ask ya where the bathroom is."

"The bathroom?” He squinted slightly, not entirely convinced, but pointed to the hallway anyway. “Over there, to your right… You okay?”

Daiki felt like the redhead was thoroughly examining him, up and down, gaze penetrating his very skin, and at that moment he cursed the way Taiga had gotten to know him well enough to know when something was off, both in the court and out.

“M’fine…” The bluenette mumbled, and just as he saw the other’s lips ready to pry further, he moved his own first. “Just starving, how much more ‘til the food’s ready?”

A chuckle left Kagami’s lips then, raised eyebrow sending Aomine a clear message of ‘I know that’s not all but I’ll let it slide’, and the bluenette’s own lips quirked upwards in relief, -and amusement, at the skill they’ve developed to wordlessly comprehend each other- and he thanked his friend internally.

“Not much,” Taiga chirped then, glancing at the microwave’s clock. “should be done in about… fifteen hours.”

Aomine blinked. “Fifteen… hours?”

“Yup.”

_Hours…_ Daiki went from being completely dumbfounded, to panicking internally for a second because _they’re going to starve,_ to then realizing what had really just happened, and he tried his hardest not to even so much as giggle, not wanting to seem like he was mocking the other’s still shabby Japanese.

So after a quick correction, Aomine’s contained chuckles vibrated in his chest as Taiga blushed and mumbled an embarrassed and slightly frustrated “Sorry, I still get those mixed up _.”_ to which Daiki cleared his throat, put his pride aside, and replied “ _Don chu warry, behby.”_ with a confident smirk despite the strong accent, and the redhead seemed to have forgotten all about his mistake as he doubled over in laughter, making Aomine cross his arms over his chest indignantly, slurred whines of “What’s so damn funny?” and “You’re such a dick…” spoken out loud, even if he did indeed make a fool of himself on purpose, just to cheer the still-learning foreigner up.

And Aomine forgot all about his supposed need to use the bathroom, as he gave up his annoyed façade and laughed along with Kagami, and before they knew it, the food was ready to eat.

 

* * *

  

_This guy could be a chef._

Was Daiki’s first thought as he took the first bite of Taiga’s food –right after “ _holy shit”, that is-,_ followed by a sequence of delighted hums and audible compliments directed to the redhead, to which he responded with a bashful smile. “I’m glad you like it.”

A half hour later, full stomachs and dirty plates strewn on the coffee table, a movie played on the TV while they lazed on the couch, far too full and content in their current positions to move. Taiga had decided to take the spot right next to Daiki on the couch, rather than the opposite end, and the bluenette wasn’t complaining.

His chest did stir with nerves, palms annoyingly sweaty and throat somewhat tight, but as he gradually relaxed into the situation, he felt light and warm and _right_ , like all was beautiful in the world as long as Taiga was at his side. They were strange feelings, Daiki thought, feelings that he had never once experienced, not all at once, nor at this intensity. He soon found himself drifting into his own thoughts rather than the film on screen, vaguely noted how Taiga yawned next to him as he delved into his thoughts.

Are crushes really this insistent? He thought he had a crush –and Kise seemed to confirm it- but he also thought crushes were only short, fleeting attractions, butterflies and flushed giggling faces, and although Daiki still feels those flutters, he often feels so much more, and it was so _strange._

Things that, the him before meeting Taiga, would call meaningless and stupid, now came naturally, as if they were always a part of him and just wasn’t aware of them yet.

Things like waiting for each other by the lockers before class, just to say good morning, and chat until the bell rings, later sharing their lunch together, chopsticks picking up food from both bentos as if it was one and the same, despite their usual greediness when it came to food. At practice they were either both at a bench or both on the court, like one couldn’t be motivated enough without the other –and in Aomine’s case that was somewhat true, Kagami lit a fire in him even stronger than Tetsu had done on the court, one he couldn’t resist the urge to ignite over and over again-, which is why they also never tired of playing one-on-one together every single day after school, with kept promises of giving their all no matter how exhausting practice was that day. Even now, as they sat side by side, shoulder to shoulder and Taiga slowly slumping further onto him – _is he falling asleep again…?_ -, it all felt like something they had done all their lives, habits that were near and dear to their hearts and carved into their souls.

While Daiki mulled over what was going on inside him and still struggled to make sense of it all, he heard another yawn come from Taiga and his own lips twitched upwards, sighing softly, and he decided he could think about this later. He pat the redhead’s knee, and once he felt the other’s gaze on him, he spoke.

“I should get going.” The bluenette muttered, directed a smile to Kagami’s drowsy expression as he pushed himself up on his feet, “It’s late, don’ wanna keep you up.” and then watched a pout form on the other’s lips.

“ _You don’t have to leave, you know…”_ Taiga mumbled as he rubbed an eye with the heel of his palm, and Aomine chuckled, he had gotten used to the redhead unconsciously speaking his native tongue when he was close to slumber.

So with his usual patience, he grinned at Taiga. “In Japanese this time?”

“Um…” Kagami sat a little more upright, and nibbled on his lip as he shook his head lightly. “Nothing.”

Daiki wasn’t entirely convinced, he knew Taiga just as much as Taiga knew him by now, after all. However, like the redhead had done for him earlier in the evening, Aomine let it slide.

“Thanks for the food, again. I should come over more often.” A waggle of the eyebrows, and Kagami had to laugh then, stood up with Daiki and gave him a playful slap on the arm.

“I’m not cooking for you every hour, Daiki.”

“You mean every _day?”_ Aomine grinned smugly, now truly taking the opportunity to mess with his friend. “Although, every hour doesn’t sound too bad.”

This time Taiga laughed, a “ _Fuck you, Daiki_.” spoken between chuckles and a “Hey! I understood that!” yelled by Aomine.

The friendly banter finally ceased at the door, while Daiki slipped on his shoes and Taiga pulled him into their usual goodbye hug, and the redhead smiled as he held the other tightly against him.

“I had fun today.”

“You say that every day, Taiga.” Aomine found himself smiling as well, giving Kagami a pat on the back before they pulled away from each other.

“Well…” Taiga averted his eyes to Daiki’s shoulder, giving it a light push as he quietly mumbled “I mean it.”, a voice that Daiki found so sincere and overwhelmingly sweet, that all he could do was nod and mutter an “I know.”

And once Kagami closed the door behind him, he knew he had an explanation for himself, a name for all that he was feeling. When he found himself in the warm summer air outside, yet felt colder than he ever did inside in the chilled air of the apartment. _Because he was with Taiga_ , he concluded, and even though his body took him back home in his usual casual stroll, inside Aomine there was a hurricane of both peace and anxiety, thrill and emotive chaos.

Because what he forced out his mouth was an “I know.”

But what truly crossed his mind was an “ _I love you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, it's good to be back with these babs ;w;  
>  ~~Life has been kind of a butt actually sorry for the wait but ayeeee ~~~~~~  
> I'm thinking of writing a chap in Kagami's perspective soon, because what is even going on in that red fluff of a head? Who knows! ~~I know huehueh~~


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Texts and internal conflicts with Aomine Daiki.  
> Also, Momoi is a dear, but what's up with Kagami?

Aomine was never one to use his phone much, other than the occasional call, or a text or two, so the first few days of texting with Kagami on a frequent basis was… tricky to get used to, to say the least, but that didn't mean the ace didn't enjoy it. Sure, he fumbled with his thumbs at first, too slow to punch in the words and when he did attempt to speed up, he would only manage to end with such gibberish that he swore he would make the translator uninstall itself from existence.

Over the next few weeks, however, he could proudly say he had gotten the hang of it, thumbs quickly seeking what he wanted to say and _send_ , before the teacher caught him, because now his teammate thought it would be fun to also seek Daiki's attention in the form of texts during classes, and the bluenette was suddenly grateful then that they didn't share the same class, because if they did, he would witness how every single text he got from the redhead curved his lips into a lopsided grin, either from amusement or simple adoration.

He had admitted to himself, that day walking home with the nighttime breeze creating goosebumps on his quivering skin, that he was in love with Taiga, and every time he thought about it, dared to even _begin_ to form that sentence in his head, his face would burn, yet his expression would turn soft and warm, his stomach would do flips, yet his chest would beat a rhythm of joy and excitement. This was all new to him, and frankly, quite hard to handle on a daily basis, so he often opted for keeping his mind on other things and pretend those feelings weren't there, and that in itself was just as big of a struggle, as the object of his affection was very keen on being always there, by his side, either physically or figuratively and he doesn't mind that one bit. Taiga is simply being a good friend, he just wishes he could be more than that... Or, does he?

If Taiga were to return his feelings, they would become a couple, settle into a committed relationship, that’s how these things always go, right? The thought made Aomine’s heart thump a tad louder, yet feel slightly uneasy, not because he didn’t deem the redhead worthy of his devotion, but he hadn’t an idea of how he himself would fare in such a relationship. There was something about the thought of being committed to a sole person that made the free spirit in the ace refuse such a thing, pictured it as strapping a skintight collar with the other’s name around his neck and handing over the leash, along with his freedom.

He soon reminded himself that, these perturbing views were behind him, were his former way of thinking before falling for the redheaded foreigner. That was the Daiki that jumped from one chick to the other, fooling around with them only to toss them aside as soon as he grew tired of the repetitiveness. He needed variety in his life, was what he believed, needed to substitute one person after the next as if they were mere replaceable, unfeeling objects, for the sole purpose of his own quickly dwindling pleasure and entertainment.

However, over the past few months of knowing Taiga, he had not so much as flirted with anyone else, lacking any desire to whatsoever. Everyone and anyone that came up to him was turned away without a moment’s hesitation, not because he was in a relationship, not because he was being tugged back on a leash or stripped from his freedom. No, it was of his own free will that Aomine refused to be with anyone else, was strongly against the idea even, because the _only_ person he could picture himself with, on an intimate level, was Taiga.

But still, there was the possibility that Taiga would never feel an interest towards him.

Sure, his teammate was touchy and clingy, especially towards Daiki, pulled him into the warmest of hugs, ruffled his hair and patted his shoulder with an endearing grin, and often offered massages when he noticed his fellow power forward was sore after a long day –to which Daiki would always politely decline, not trusting himself to keep his vocal chords silent if he let that happen-, but he figured all of this was only part of another cultural difference between them, another quality that made up the redhead’s personality.

There was no way of telling if Taiga was anything other than heterosexual either, and despite Kise’s insistence, Daiki still hadn’t dared inquire about his teammate’s sexuality in any way, afraid that he might give himself away if he so much as brought up the topic. The last thing he wanted was to make things awkward between them, or even worse, ruin their friendship altogether. The mere possibility frightened him enough to keep quiet about his feelings, and push all these thoughts away once more, shoving them behind an already weakened barrier that would soon give way once more.

"Just listen to the teacher..." he mutedly commanded himself, sighing as he mindlessly scribbled infinite ‘8’s on his notebook instead of taking notes, until his phone vibrated against his thigh. He slipped it out of his pocket, hiding it from the teacher's view behind the backpack he had so unsuspiciously perched on his desk.

" _Btw_ , I wanted to ask you something."

Squinting at the acronym that the translator decided to ignore, Daiki assumed it probably wasn't that important and just replied according to the rest.

"Ask away."

A couple minutes pause and just when Aomine placed his phone down, doubting he would get a reply from the redhead soon, it vibrated loudly against the wood. After making a show of lazily glancing around as if he wasn't the guilty one, once the teacher gave up on finding the culprit and turned away, he sighed in relief and opened the message -not before putting the device on silent to prevent future incidences-.

"Later, almost got in trouble lmao"

The bluenette let out an amused huff, wishing he could see just what had happened that almost gave the other away as well, and as he made a mental note to ask Taiga the meaning of those acronyms he uses so frequently, the bell rang, and Daiki couldn’t remember a single word of the class he just sat through.

 

* * *

 

Practice had begun about 10 minutes ago, Taiga was running late. “Gotta stay behind for a while, I’ll be at practice _asap_ ” followed by a “Don’t have too much fun without me ;P” was the last Aomine had read from his friend before walking into the gymnasium, plopping down and laying back on the stage with an unconscious pout on his face.

After what was most likely his hundredth sigh, he felt light footsteps approaching on the wooden surface, a ‘whoosh’ of a skirt and the familiar scent of bubblegum scented lotion and watermelon body mist wafting into his nose, a mixture that was so very Satsuki.

“Dai-chan, aren’t you going to warm up? Where’s Kagamin?”

Lazily peeking an eye open, he glanced at his childhood friend and team manager towering over him. “How do you assume I know that?”

A knowing smirk and a cross of her arms. “You know better than to play dumb with me Dai-chan, you two have been inseparable lately.” She sat down then next to Daiki’s resting form, busying herself with tugging down the tank that had ridden up the bluenette’s abdomen and softly patting his stomach afterwards. “I’m even a little jealous.”

“Tch, don’t be stupid.”

“It’s true! Kagamin is stealing my Dai-chan away from me!”

Aomine knew she was messing with him, judging by her quivering lips that fought back a giggle, so he couldn’t help but smile then, sitting up and patting his lap.

“Com’ere then, relax a little.”

“You’re a bad influence on my productivity, Dai-chan…” Despite her words, she lowered herself on her side, resting her head on the shorts-clad thigh, speaking in a hushed voice this time.

“So, have you talked with Kagamin?”

Daiki knew exactly what Satsuki was referring to and he tensed, then exhaled, blue irises instinctively darting around to secure their privacy, while his bottom lip was briefly caught between his teeth. “I can’t, Satsuki…”

The pinkette sighed, turning her head to look up at her distressed friend with a comforting warmth in her rose eyes, a gaze that never failed to calm Daiki’s very core, after so many years. “I can tell how much you like him Dai-chan…” A delicate hand reached up, stroking pale fingers against a tan cheek in an attempt to soothe the other. “Listen, even if he doesn’t feel the same, he would _never_ abandon your friendship. Give the guy some credit, you’re closer to him than any of us are, you know he’s a good person.”

“I know…”

“I’m not pressuring you, Dai-chan.” With a soft smile on her lips, she reached up further to ruffle dark blue strands. “Just reminding you that, you don’t have to be afraid.”

 

* * *

 

Just as Momoi had gotten comfortable supervising the practice from where she lay, and Daiki was halfway done with a thin pink braid, a commotion could be heard from the entrance of the gym, loud greetings along with scoldings from the other team members, and the blue-haired ace had no need to check to know who had arrived, so he only continued to concentrate on finishing the braid in his hands, -mainly to distract himself from the storm of thoughts concerning the redhead, that Satsuki had provoked- though his lips involuntarily quirked up once Kagami’s voice reached his ears, his laughter indicating that he had joined into the lively roughhousing their teammates had initiated.

Fishing a small yellow band from Satsuki’s bag, he tied the end of the interwoven strands securely before letting it fall and join the rest of the silky hair draped over his thighs. The bickering across the gym only intensified, slaps and loud laughter echoed from the walls, along with various “Ow!”s and “Hey!”s.

“Guys, quit bullying Kagamin!” The managed ordered then, a “You heard her!” exclaimed from Taiga and light snickering from the rest. Smiling at her boys, she pushed herself up from her laid position, freeing Daiki’s lap for a mere second before she occupied it once more, sitting down entirely as the bluenette instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, tickling her sides lightly.

“Oi, do I look like your personal seat?”

“M-Mayb-pfff, Dai-chaaan! It tickles!”

“That’s the idea.”

It was a natural thing for the both of them after all, after so many years by each other’s side, neither of them hesitated to express their deeply rooted affection, because they both knew everything between them was all strictly platonic, Momoi being like the sibling Aomine never had.

As he busied himself with making the pinkette in his hold squirm, he failed to notice the redhead approaching the stage until another shriek from Momoi was heard.

“Kagam- ehehe! Kagamin, help!”

Aomine glanced up then, a proud and playful grin on his face as he reached his goal of making his childhood friend laugh until she struggled to breathe, yet once he saw his teammate’s dazed expression, he dimmed slightly, stilling his hands on the tickle-abused waist and running them up and down in an attempt to aid Satsuki calm back down.

“Bakagami, you’re late! What happened?”

Crimson orbs followed Aomine’s hands, at the caresses they were administering, gaze seeming conflicted and almost frustrated. Daiki’s eyes narrowed, the first thing that came to mind being that whatever he stayed back for before practice upset him, or maybe one of their teammates crossed a line just now, and he had to suppress a hostile scowl at the mere suspicion.

“Taiga… What’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Taiga seemed to snap back to reality at the sound of the bluenette’s concern, finally directing his gaze to the other’s face as his lips stretched into a thin smile that didn’t wrinkle the corners of his eyes as they always did. “Oh, uh… Nothing. Sorry for being late.”

The latter part of what he spoke was aimed to Momoi, followed by a quick bow of the head and the manager raised a hand, waving it in a dismissing gesture. “Don’t worry about that, Kagamin.” She stood from where she sat then, making sure her skirt was in its proper place before jumping off the stage and in front of Kagami, the braid that Daiki had made rested on the side of her head, blending in with the rest of her hair, as she looked up at the taller redhead. “Can I talk to you for a second though?”

Taiga’s lips parted, and closed again, as if debating whether he should accept or not. Few seconds passed and he nodded, and Satsuki took his hand in her own, leading them both outside of the gym. Daiki observed them both closely, all the way to the door, somewhat offended that he had been excluded, and a little jealous at the way his friend was allowed to hold the redhead’s hand like that as if it was no big deal, one of the privileges of being a female, Aomine supposed, and he huffed indignantly.

After the bluenette realized that the minutes kept passing by and there was still no sign of his friends coming back, he exhaled, taking his time to pick up his things, seeing as practice was almost over anyway.

His bag slung over his shoulder and Satsuki’s clipboard in hand, he leaned against a wall and awaited his friends return, wondering just what Satsuki decided to discuss with the foreigner that required privacy even from Daiki, but most importantly, what had upset Taiga?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy.  
> I'm thinking next chapter will probably be in Kagami's point of view, what do you guys think?


End file.
